Editing! Gaara's Dream (new chapter added!)

Gaara hesitated a moment before knocking on the door of Serena's embassy suite. He wasn't used to visiting people, so it made him slightly nervous to be doing so now. When she didn't answer immediately, he began to pace back and forth in front of her door.

"Oh, hi Gaara!...erm...Kazekage-sama." Blushing softly at forgetting to formally address him, she opened her door and beckoned him inside. He was astonished at what he saw inside. He had been to her office countless times, and he had expected her house to show the same too-clean atmosphere that he had witnessed there. He couldn't be more wrong. As she shrugged apologetically at her messy house, he looked around in amazement. There were a few socks on the ground, some paperwork on the table, and, to the embarrassment of Serena, panties hanging from a drawer haphazardly. Not only was it messy, it also seemed quite a bit like a home. It took Gaara a little while to understand what 'home' was exactly, but whatever it was, this was it.

When Serena looked up at him, wondering what he wanted, she saw the first genuine smile Gaara had ever made. "Umm...Gaar-Kazekage-sama?" She barely dared to breathe when he pressed close to her. She was confused, more so than she'd ever been.

Gaara lowered his head a tiny bit at a time, giving her plenty of time to pull away before his lips claimed hers. Serena's eyes opened wide as she felt his lips hit hers. Her shinobi half screamed at her to pull away, to stop this, but the woman who had been without comfort for so long screamed at her ninja half to shut the fuck up. The woman won. She pressed against him, her tongue tracing his lips, passionate but gentle. When he finally pulled away, she laid her head on his shoulder, leaning against him for comfort. Her body was telling her to do things that she had no business doing with the Kage of another village.

Gaara's voice startled her out of her thoughts. "Gaara."

Looking up at him, she raised an eyebrow, confused.

"My name is Gaara....Not Kazekage-sama. I am a man...not just a leader." Gaara's voice stressed 'man' as he bit her lip gently.

She nodded, shivering slightly. "Gaara then." She let the sounds of his name roll out slowly, enjoying every syllable as it escaped her mouth. She gasped out a breath when he kissed her neck sensually, biting softly and then kissing the sting away. "G-Gaara...I...This...." He silenced her with a kiss. "G-Gaara...stop for a minute." Gently pushing him away, she looked up into his eyes. "I've wanted this for a long time...but Gaara....it could never work between us....I am supposed to be here as a diplomatic representative to Suna. If word gets out that I've gotten involved with you, Konoha will call me back, and most likely I will never be trusted with any mission related to Suna again."

Gaara pulled her to him again, softly kissing her temple before speaking quietly. "Should duty always come before our own happiness? We could make it work...does it matter what others think, when we know we aren't doing anything wrong?"

Serena closed her eyes, trying to ignore the pull of her body towards his, the need for emotional contact, the need for affection and love. "I have always thought that the village should come first...why is it so hard this time?" She couldn't fight her emotions anymore, she knew she needed this just as much as Gaara. Before she knew it, she was hugging him tight. "Maybe...Maybe we can make it work."

Breathing softly in relief, Gaara stroked her hair absently, trying to make sense of his emotions. "I know I haven't really been very open when we talk...I have withheld a lot of information about my...violent past...but...If you want to know more about me, I'll answer any questions you have."

Serena chuckled. "Did you think Konoha would let me come here without warning me about how dangerous you were? I was given your file before they even explained the mission..." When Gaara hung his head, ashamed, Serena forced his head up and held his eyes with her own. "Gaara, I like you for you...your past is in the past, and you've obviously changed from the way you used to be. I've grown fond of you for your own good qualities. People can't hold onto the past forever, and you've changed enough that soon even those assholes in the village will know and love you for the good guy you are."

Gaara nodded absently, still not quite able to let go of his shame. So when he felt the gentle press of Serena's soft lips against his own, it took him a moment to realize that she hadn't reacted with revulsion to his past. "You...you never acted...scared. You're the first person in over twenty years who hasn't run from me..." With that, Gaara crushed his mouth to hers, pausing only to make sure she wasn't hurt before giving her the most passionate kiss she'd ever imagined.

***

The next day Serena found herself thinking back on everything that had happened since she had come to Suna. It was hard to imagine that she'd only been here for a little over two months when she felt like she'd known Gaara for years.

She dreaded every dispatch from Konoha, fearing that each one would contain a letter telling her to return to Leaf village immediately. She held her breath in a gasp when the mail was delivered. There was an urgent priority letter from Tsunade. The Hokage never sent mail with priority unless there was an S-ranked mission that only her abilities could take care of, or she had done something majorly wrong. Either way, it wasn't something that Serena was looking forward to.

(Review please?)